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What's left for under $1k?


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22 hours ago, JGravelin said:

Golden Age for cheapie guits right now. Everyone is CNC, high tolerances, etc: electronics and pickups and output jack can be upgraded later just like PLENTY of people do on high-dollar brands daily. Run the racks. Epi, ESP, Schecter, Godin, Yamaha, Squire, Harley Benton, MIM Fender... put your hands on as many as you can and find a good one.

Behold, my $200 partscaster shred machine. Yes it's a total smokeshow but it actually, truly rips!

IMG_20210625_174730132_HDR.jpg

Whoa, Cool! Should we start calling you Nickelbag Gravelin? Lil’ Dime?

Seriously, where did the 'red part' of the guitar originate?

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19 minutes ago, Biz Prof said:

Have to admit that I'm intrigued by the faded Pelham Blue offering:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_dc_junior_ltd_pelham_blue.htm

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Color wise that would be my choice too. But it wasn't/isn't available with the fat neck. 

And the FAT is a pretty nice neck! Not a ball bat but enough wood to get a good grip on.

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I was going to throw this in the ring as a sub-$1k wonder - I bought this one in absolutely brand new condish from a guy last year for $550 shipped, because he was an offset player who thought he'd like it...and didn't.

Then I checked recent prices...

If you can find one even remotely close to $1k, BUY IT.  They're that good.

FB1 new.jpg

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1 hour ago, cmatthes said:

I was going to throw this in the ring as a sub-$1k wonder - I bought this one in absolutely brand new condish from a guy last year for $550 shipped, because he was an offset player who thought he'd like it...and didn't.

Then I checked recent prices...

If you can find one even remotely close to $1k, BUY IT.  They're that good.

FB1 new.jpg

I had a '91 Gibson reissue FBV and just couldn't get along with it at all. Now...looking at that Epi Bonamassa...I'd give that one a chance for $550!

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So, copy is copy but the Fret King 338 copy reads..

"Carved from a solid mahogany blank, the Elise body has acoustically tuned chambers, a full length centre block, and double carved solid maple cap to create a vibrant semi acoustic body. The slick mahogany neck employs the Fret-King long-tenon neck joint, which mates precisely to the body underneath the neck pickup, forming a rigid fixed bond between neck and body, maximising the retention and transmission of the Elise's fundamental acoustic properties."

I'm intrigued.

 

Thanks Dave!

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just to add more commentary to this thread, with some patience, I think it's quite possible to still get some US Hamers under $1k.  My Special and my Eclipse were both under $1k.  Granted I bought the Special a couple years ago, but it was WAY under $1k.  The Eclipse I just bought in November.  Neither are case queens, but both are great where they need to be... no fret wear, and no issues with playability.  Hell, my Eclipse is still listed in the for sale forum for under a grand.  I just never bumped the thread because I decided to try a pickup swap before I commit to letting it go.

 

Another option that every Hamer person should look at are the Indonesian line of imported Hamers.  A lot of people wax about the quality of the early Korean imported Hamers, but so far I've had 2 of them, and although they were nice, I didn't feel like they were as well built as the 2 Indonesian Hamers that I've got.  I have a 2011 SATF P90 (it was my first Hamer and got me hooked), and also a 2017 Monaco.  Both of these guitars are among the best guitars I have in my collection.  When the right deals pop up I'm going to get more of the newer line of Hamers to see if what I have is a fluke or if they're really all this good.

 

Fortunately, this isn't actually as clown-bursty in person as it is in the picture:

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The rosewood on this fretboard is insanely nice:

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And here's my SATF that was not only my first Hamer, but my first P90 guitar:

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If you get the chance to try out any of the Indonesian Hamers, be it from before Hamer went extinct or after it was resurrected, do yourself a favor and try it.

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18 hours ago, mudshark said:

I love cheap gear.

IMGP8789 (2).JPG

A telecaster and two boat paddles.  

I can make that joke. I grew up 90-minutes from Meridian, MS, haha. 

Even those old T-60s have climbed on up there. 

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16 hours ago, JGale said:

According to a 2012 review on Musicradar,

"We have three pickup sources: the two Wilkinson magnetic pickups and the piezo elements of the tune-o-matic-style bridge that, like most hybrids, aims to provide an acoustic-like tonality to contrast and complement the conventional magnetic tones.

Control of the passive magnetic pair is straightforward with a three-way toggle pickup selector, master volume and tone. The active piezo circuit is more involved with a volume and three-band EQ from three separate, centre-notched rotary controls. Finally, a three-way mode switch enables magnetic or piezo individually or both together."

The complete review Fret-King Black Label Elise GG review | MusicRadar

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3 hours ago, LucSulla said:

A telecaster and two boat paddles.  

I can make that joke. I grew up 90-minutes from Meridian, MS, haha. 

Even those old T-60s have climbed on up there. 

I was toolin' my rig down the blacktop on the 20 and wishing I could go the the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. I had my ears on and knew there was a full grown bear ahead. When I saw him, I pulled over behind him. It surprised him to see a trucker approaching the car. I asked him where there was a place I could park my rig so I could visit the museum. He told me to follow him and led me to a place where I could park.

"Hop in, driver."

He took me to the museum then gave me a ride back. Helluva nice guy. He said he picked bluegrass. I can still see the bubble gum machines light up as a goodbye wave.

That's the good stuff, I gotta say. That was a favorite memory of mine..
 

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3 hours ago, LucSulla said:

A telecaster and two boat paddles.  

I can make that joke. I grew up 90-minutes from Meridian, MS, haha. 

Even those old T-60s have climbed on up there. 

I was in a college band and traded off between guitar/bass duties.  I borrowed the bassist's T-40 and he borrowed my beloved Red Hamer Special w/Floyd.   That bass was the heaviest thing I've ever played!  Honestly, it was hideous too, but sounded pretty damned good through his Ampeg!

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A quick check of my stash reveals that I have 28 Peavey guitars and basses. All USA made, early to mid '80s models that I had at least some small part in designing. Except for my T-40, which predates my employment there by about 5 years.

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8 minutes ago, stobro said:

A quick check of my stash reveals that I have 28 Peavey guitars and basses. All USA made, early to mid '80s models that I had at least some small part in designing. Except for my T-40, which predates my employment there by about 5 years.

Does that include a Hydra?

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On 4/12/2022 at 8:27 AM, LucSulla said:

I see what you did there. 

If a person is willing to do the legwork (stop in at pawn shops several times a week, over a period of months), there are still some fantastic deals out there.  The 'treasure hunt' can be fun, but it is discouraging to go months without seeing any great buys, - although there is often something interesting to look at. 

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On 4/10/2022 at 3:39 PM, JGravelin said:

Golden Age for cheapie guits right now. Everyone is CNC, high tolerances, etc: electronics and pickups and output jack can be upgraded later just like PLENTY of people do on high-dollar brands daily. Run the racks. Epi, ESP, Schecter, Godin, Yamaha, Squire, Harley Benton, MIM Fender... put your hands on as many as you can and find a good one.

Behold, my $200 partscaster shred machine. Yes it's a total smokeshow but it actually, truly rips!

IMG_20210625_174730132_HDR.jpg

would you believe what popped up on the local CL?

https://hartford.craigslist.org/msg/d/bristol-1980s-cimar-ibanez-flying/7460868858.html

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3 hours ago, stonge said:

and it has a normal bridge!  I've got an X series Ibanez from 83-ish, I kept it because it doesn't have one of their oddball bridges, but a strat type. It was wall art in my kids room for quite a few years. I think I paid about $100 for it. 

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  • 3 months later...

I'm still finding very nice MIJ guitars for sale in Japan that are falling under $1K, including shipping to the US. For instance, just a week ago I bought this high end 2009 Tokai SG. It' specs include a 1 piece Honduran mahogany body and lacquer finish. It's a non catalog model due to its color and maestro vibrato. I hope to have it next week sometime, it should be killer.

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I see Edwards guitars all the time for well under $1K, sometimes half that. All of the Edwards I've owned have been very nice. Here's a good example of one that's right at $450 - https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/1057158091

I realize it isn't easy to buy from Japan, but it can be done using a proxy. And right now, the USD/Yen exchange rate is so favorable it's making pulling the trigger way more than I should very very hard to resist.

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